To think Ocado are on their way out?

[AlternativePerspective]

They treated many of their customers shockingly during the pandemic. Broke the app and haven’t brought it back, and I have been told there is no timeframe as to when it will be brought back, they roll out a boiler template that it’s gradually going to be rolled out to a small selection of customers to ensure it works.

This is the only online only supermarket, and they’re the one who have failed the most spectacularly.

M&S are supposed to be online with them from Monday but with no app for many people shopping with them won’t be an easy thing to do so they won’t bother. Added to which M&S are looking to cut their costs anyway.

I speculated to my DP the other day that I will be surprised if Ocado are still around in a year’s time.

It’s a shame. They used to be a flagship online shop, now they’re the worst online supermarket.

I love Ocado. Great customer service, lovely delivery drivers and was hardy affected by the pandemic. I think they've managed really well even when they had to switch off the app for a while.

Just a word of warning to anyone doing the ocado shop this weekend.
They don't seem to have in stock either waitrose or M&S products for many lines so push you to buy branded, often weird expensive brands. DH did the shop and managed to spend £180 instead of the usual £130ish, and that's with no meat or booze. I found some cracking prices in what he bought... £8 for 4 tins of pineapples, pasta and rice twice the usual price, sorbet for £5 etc. No unbranded cereal, tinned fruit, apples (how??), very few offers etc etc
Would give them a big swerve until this is sorted. Oh yes and £6 delivery when I usually search out a free or cheap slot.

The M&S deal hasn’t kicked in yet but the rest of that sounds like you have a DH problem rather than an Ocado one.

[quote PinkFondantFancy]@BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou easier to book an order, then just add the things you think of over the week to the trolley, then before the delivery date add it all to the order in one go. Saves the clicking through[/quote]
Still have to get out the iPad log on etc. plus you won’t find out it’s out of stock until you try to checkout.

Much easier to just talk to Alexa while getting on with other things....

@AuntyPasta

The M&S deal hasn’t kicked in yet but the rest of that sounds like you have a DH problem rather than an Ocado one.

M&S don't start till the 1st September.

The DH sounds a bit dim,

@therarebear t I can't see how much delivery fees might be if we just pay for deliveries as and when.

In the best traditions, the costs vary depending on demand for and availability of slots.

Anytime I didn't renew , or cancelled, a SmartPass, a special offer would tend to appear in my inbox at some point thereafter.

We've used Ocado for a number of years. We managed a few deliveries during lockdown but lost our fortnightly regular slot. It was a crazy time for all food retail so I'm certainly not complaining.

It's been back to normal for a couple of months now and I can't see it going anywhere. We've started getting weekly slots now. The customer service is excellent, the drivers are efficient and friendly and the food is consistently good quality with good use by dates. Whenever I've had a problem with an item I've had a swift resolution. The Ocado branded goods are excellent and I'm looking forward to trying the new M&S 'reMARKSable' range.

The app being down (for some) is an inconvenience as the 'one click' option saves time but apparently they're switching it on slowly so it should be back for everyone soon.

Are you just miffed that you will be losing your Waitrose favourites? I would say that as long as the products continue to picked from the warehouse and not the store, so have a longer shelf-life, I will stay an Ocado shopper. I am disappointed by the switch - we have an M&S round the corner, but not Waitrose for miles - but I think both businesses will work hard to make the partnership successful. M&S want to grow food sales, Ocado wants to stay in business. The app is irrelevant to me - I shop on my laptop and add those late night 'Did I order any xxx?' on the ipad. Also, as a clinically vulnerable person, they treated me really well during lock-down.

@knittingaddict

The problem is that she has to come to our house to do her order.

Has she perhaps been logging in with her own ID and password?

Give her your idea and password, get her to log in using those. She will be recognised as 'you' and saved a trip to your house.

domesticslattern

Waitrose products have been reducing for a couple of weeks at least I would say because of the changeover and M and S products don't start till Tuesday.

It probably depends on area too. I had a delivery yesterday and could get everything I wanted. Ocado own brands, especially fruit and veg, have been perfectly fine in the past.

Has she perhaps been logging in with her own ID and password?

I don't think so because our address and hers were on the site, but with them crossed through. She was logging on with the app I think, so she's going to try again using an internet search.

Yes, I went back through it trying to replace the branded stuff with unbranded stuff but it wasn't available. I'm guessing the waitrose stuff is run down, as @knittingaddict suggests, and the M&S stuff also unavailable (hasn't kicked in yet) and the ocado own brands accordingly sold out.
That's my experience this weekend anyway. The difference between me and DH is he goes ahead and orders the ££ stuff and I cancel the order and walk to Sainsburys instead.

It's possible that her user ID and password are stored on the device she is using. I'd start by logging out, which will product the login in screen and go from there using your ID. Good luck. @knittingaddict

Domesticslattern

I have a shop coming tomorrow, booked on Thursday and added to yesterday.

I have some Waitrose products in my basket, as well as Ocado brand and others. No m and s as it doesn't start until Tuesday.

Maybe it depends on location and how much Waitrose stuff they have left. Would make sense to have been run down a bit this close to the changeover.

Just done a quick shop for next weekend and put just £40 workers in so far to hold it. Lots of M&S stuff to order.

On my 'favourites' the Waitrose stuff has been changed to M&S equivalents. Doesn't seem any dearer.

Their share price says otherwise. Up 120% in 6 months

I'm using Ocado for the first time this week because of the M&S food starting from Tuesday .

Haven't been to the shops for 6 months, missing their Balanced For You ready meals as well as some of their other goodies!

Probably wouldn't have bothered if it hadn't been for covid though cos I'd be in town and pop in for my favourites that way!

@Aragog

Just done a quick shop for next weekend and put just £40 workers in so far to hold it. Lots of M&S stuff to order.

On my 'favourites' the Waitrose stuff has been changed to M&S equivalents. Doesn't seem any dearer.

From a seasoned Waitrose and M&S customer - I think M&S have intentionally price-matched a lot of Waitrose stuff on Ocado. Whether they do that long term remains to be seen.

If I find a lot of Ocado own brand stuff abysmal. Their taramasalata is genuinely the worst I have ever had.

Diced lamb for tagines - tougher and fattier than Waitrose.

They need to up their own brand game dramatically.

Worked well for me.

App not working for me yet but apart from about 4 weeks, I’ve had a guaranteed slot every week through lockdown (not a smartpass holder but spend around £180 per week with Ocado). I’ve been away for a few weeks in an area outside Ocado’s delivery areas but where Tesco slots were available so used them instead. My weekly spend was reduced by 1/3 but the quality of fresh produce was very noticeably poorer. Now home and back to Ocado and intend to stay that way!

Ocado scores for me with unusual cooking ingredients.. I can usually be sure they will have whatever’s in the recipe.

Never mind the app though, they have recently been really low on stock.. and sometimes I’ve had a text to say they were out of stock on something so won’t be coming.. then it does!